07.08.05
Katherine Trinidad/Allard Beutel
Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-3749/4769)
Bruce Buckingham
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(Phone: 321/867-2468)
RELEASE: 59-05
NASA SOLICITS INTEREST IN USE OF SHUTTLE LANDING FACILITY
NASA today issued a formal request for expressions of interest by
non-NASA organizations, including commercial space companies, for use
of the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at the Kennedy Space Center
(KSC), Fla.
The announcement is the first step in considering how and when NASA
can expand access to available capacity at the SLF by government,
commercial, and academic organizations.
NASA's use of the SLF to support the Space Shuttle Program and other
agency activities has precedence over prospective users through the
remaining operational life of the orbiter and beyond. NASA is seeking
to accommodate conditional access by additional users.
NASA is investigating the potential to support research and technology
demonstration flights of piloted, unpiloted, and spaceflight
vehicles; parabolic research and demonstration flights; academic and
commercial space flight research and demonstration flights;
logistical support, and others. Uses that can be readily accommodated
at nearby airports, such as executive aircraft flights and
conventional commercial passenger aircraft flights, will not be
considered. Areas of interest are described in the Request For
Information (RFI) published on today's Federal Business Opportunities
Website.
The RFI is a part of NASA's ongoing efforts to support the President's
Management Agenda and the U.S. Space Transportation Policy. "The SLF
is a unique facility, and we would like to see its full use by the
nation's aerospace community," said NASA's Associate Administrator
for Space Operations William Readdy.
Organizations have until August 30 to respond with detailed
expressions of interest. Based on those responses, NASA will
determine what uses can be accommodated on the SLF. NASA anticipates
developing policies, plans, and procedures in coordination with the
Air Force and FAA to enable SLF access to non-NASA users.
For information about the RFI on the Web, visit:
http://prod.nais.nasa.gov
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